The Garden Theater was located at 118 N. Washington Avenue and also went by the names the Downtown, the Star and Mead's Hall. The Garden began life as Mead's Hall in 1866 and hosted several well-known theater acts as well as many of America's finest orators. In 1876 the hall was the site of the local Centennial. In the late 1890s due to increasing competition, the popularity of Mead's Hall began to wane.
The decline of Mead's Hall in the 1890s can be directly attributed to the rise of the opulent Buck's Opera House. In the 1910s in an attempt to salvage some of its past business, Mead's Hall was remodeled and renamed the Star Theater and began to show silent films. The theater never regained its status as first run theater and, you guessed it, was eventually torn down. In the late 1950s the Garden Theater (between Mac's and the Broadway Lunch) had become a haven for the down and out.
Courtesy of:
Heidi J. Butler, MSLS, CA (she/her)
Local History Specialist
Capital Area District Libraries